• We are eight months into the new administration, and we have entered uncharted territory, at least for modern times. President Donald Trump coerced ABC and its affiliate stations into suspending the late-night show “Jimmy Kimmel Live!“ after he and his followers objected to a joke Kimmel told related to the assassination of MAGA activist Charlie Kirk. Nexstar, which owns 32 ABC affiliates as well as the Fox affiliate in Denver, applied pressure to ABC by saying it would not air Kimmel’ show on its stations, a fairly transparent effort to curry favor with the Trump administration as it seeks federal regulatory approval of its acquisition of Tegna (owner of 9News).
  • President Trump later said that the federal government might revoke the licenses of broadcast television networks that he feels are “against” him.
  • Meanwhile, FCC Chairman Brendan Carr suggested that ABC‘s morning show “The View” would be the administration’s next target.
• If you drive in Denver, you should be aware that part of Mayor Mike Johnston‘s plan to solve the city’s budget crisis is to issue more photo radar tickets.
• The record label for recording artist D4vd is refusing to promote his new album after the body of a 15-year-old girl was found in the trunk of a Tesla registered to him that had been towed. Police are continuing to investigate the situation, and no arrests have been made.
• Axios Denver disclosed it has only 600 paying members, and it has launched a campaign to grow that to 1,000. For context, The Colorado Sun has more than 15,000 members. You can become a member of Axios Denver here, and a member of The Colorado Sun here.
• Country music singer Zach Bryan didn’t appreciate that fellow country musician Gavin Adcock called him not “that great of a person,” so much so that Bryan scaled a security fence at a festival where they were both performing in an attempt to confront Adcock while screaming, “If they open up this f***ing gate, I’ll f***ing kill you.” I’m thinking Adcock may have won this debate.
• Winners of Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes are learning the hard way that nothing is forever, not even “Forever” prizes that guaranteed $5,000 per week for life. The company filed for bankruptcy, and winners are no longer receiving their prize money, forcing many who stopped working decades ago to scramble to find jobs to pay their bills.
• A poorly designed cooling fan is causing some $100,000+ Corvettes to burst into flames while their owners are refueling them at gas stations. GM went straight to the “Cliche Messaging” section of its crisis response manual, telling The Wall Street Journal, “The safety of our customers is the highest priority for the entire GM team…”.
• Corey Hutchins‘ “Inside the News in Colorado” newsletter uncovered perhaps the most apt comparison for the murder of conservative activist Charlie Kirk and it has a local connection – the 1984 murder of Denver talk radio host Alan Berg by white supremacists.
• Los Angeles Clippers owner and former Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer says he and his team were “duped” into investing more than a $100 million into a now-bankrupt company that allegedly offered a no-show endorsement deal to Clippers star Kawhi Leonard. Critics argue that the Clippers knowingly were channeling additional salary that would otherwise be subject to an NBA tax to Leonard through the endorsement scheme.
• Casa Bonita employees represented by the Actors’ Equity Association – namely costumed characters such as “Black Bart” and “the Sheriff” who roam the restaurant – have filed an unfair labor practice charge against the restaurant because of its plans to sit them down for the month of October to let patrons dress up to celebrate Halloween.

Who won the week?

• GFM|CenterTable promoted Liz Soby to Director of Operations and Client Service.
• Linhart PR promoted Kelly Brown to Senior Account Director.
• Despite economic concerns, a Page Navigator Benchmarking Report found that 81% of respondents said their communications budgets have held steady or increased over the past two years.
• Three Denver restaurants – Kizaki, Margot’s and Mezcaleria Alma – earned their first Michelin stars – and one – Wolf’s Tailor – became the first two-star restaurant in the state.